No. 1 (2025): Southern transitions. Facing climate change and ecological degradation in the Global South
Ricerche

South cities: situated and subaltern knowledge to confront the climate crisis in Brazil

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  • Naggila Silva Frota
Naggila Silva Frota
University of Florence, Italy
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/contest-16045

Published 2025-11-18

Keywords

  • climate injustice,
  • territorial knowledge,
  • decoloniality,
  • community practice

How to Cite

Silva Frota, N. (2025). South cities: situated and subaltern knowledge to confront the climate crisis in Brazil. Contesti. Città, Territori, Progetti, (1), 88–113. https://doi.org/10.36253/contest-16045

Copyright (c) 2025 Naggila Silva Frota

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Global climate crisis effects increasingly threaten urban environments, with cities in the Global South disproportionately impacted by climate injustice and a colonial legacy of insufficient infrastructure. This study investigates local actions in the Grande Bom Jardim region of Fortaleza (Brazil) aimed at reconfiguring the human–nature relationship through the integration of situated and subaltern knowledge. Employing a qualitative case study methodology, the research systematically organizes community responses - including ecological trails, environmental and sanitation caravans, and climate march - to reveal the pivotal role of territorial knowledge in mitigating climate impacts. Findings demonstrate that self-organized practices not only enhance environmental monitoring and education but also challenge conventional technical approaches, underscoring the need for decolonial urban governance. The study concludes that incorporating localized epistemologies is essential for developing equitable and sustainable solutions to the climate crisis.

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